Sammy Lynn Logsdon

Sammy Lynn Logsdon considered himself a child of infinitely good fortune. He was born on the seventeenth of December 1941–ten days after Pearl Harbor–to Mary Roberts and Claude Arthur Logsdon in Newton Iowa, though they made their home in nearby Marble Rock. Sam attended local schools and spent his spare time hanging around the rail yards convincing engineers to let him have a turn at the wheel of the locomotives.

He majored in Music Education at the University of Northern Iowa while working as a garage mechanic to pay the bills. With bachelor’s degree in hand–plus wife Rose and twin daughters at his side–Sam taught music at grade schools for a while before earning his masters degree also at UNI. After a few years, a new son joined them.

He taught music at the high school in Manchester Iowa for seven years. One night while struggling to decide his future, he remarked that for a nickel he’d go back and get his doctorate. In response, Rose opened her purse and slid a nickel across the table to him. With such steadfast support, he enrolled at the University of Iowa and earned his Ph. D. in Music Education.

From 1980 till 2011, he served as Professor of Music at Corpus Christi State University which later became Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, where he continued to serve as Professor Emeritus. Sam was considered the conscience of the College, dependably rising at faculty meetings to question whether some proposal was really in the students’ best interest. He provided insightful stewardship of the College’s music department throughout his tenure, overseeing the development of curriculum, the hiring of faculty, and construction of the Performing Arts Center.

Sam’s heart embraced four chambers of exceptional affection.

First among equals was his beloved Rosie, constant companion and fellow traveller for close to six decades, from their first assignation in rural Iowa to their eventual retirement in Texas. An early excursion took them to Disneyland in a wildly unreliable custom van crammed with kids, towing a trailer and camping out nightly, while their final journey together was across Canada by rail. Their evenings in retirement were spent amidst the flora of their patio surveying the multitude of passing fauna, while Sam indulged his fondness Foster’s Lager and Rose sipped Chardonnay.

Next in his heart were his three extraordinary children–Rochelle the artist, Naomi the scientist, Phillip the businessman–and his three grandchildren still honing their life skills: Hanna, Drew and Slade. His immense pride at their accomplishments was typically tempered by his mid-western manner, but everyone in the family knew that “not too shabby” was a compliment of the highest mark.

Sam’s love of music drove his professional aspirations. He was a tireless advocate in both the classroom and the community for music as an indispensable aspect of civilized life.

Live musical performance was his particular passion. He considered his finest achievement as a music director to be performing Karl Jenkins’s choral work, “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace,” composed around the theme of a 15th-century work, “L’homme armé,” which he conducted in 2007 with The Corpus Christi Chorale and the TAMUCC University Singers.

The legions of students and faculty who passed through Sam’s classrooms complete the roster of his heart’s affections. From his early years teaching grade school through his final days at the collegiate level, Sam’s dedication to the art of teaching was unflagging.

He cultivated a close-knit community amongst the student body and the faculty, who often called their department ‘The Village”, with Sam as the mayor. His students regularly described their experiences with him as life changing, though with his wry, self-deprecating humor he admitted that his unspoken response was always, “I hope it was for the better!”

Indeed, Sam’s sense of humor was legendary. One of the twin’s earliest memories was being awakened by bellows of laughter from downstairs as he reveled in the absurd humor of Monty Python. For the amusement of friends and family, he regularly composed nonsense letters involving fictitious characters, corporations, and institutions, such as Irving Pompusass of the International Save The Lemmings Foundation. These private missives tended toward the scandalous and scatological character, while his not-infrequent Letters to the Editor were more restrained but just as hysterical. Unfortunately, his proposal to short out the electrical system of the University of Iowa by having everyone start the restroom hand-blower exactly at noon on a specified day did not come to pass.

In meeting Sam, few realized what an incredible intellect and finely tuned discernment for character resided behind his quiet demeanor. He extended the greatest kindness to dumb animals of the four-legged variety but suffered no fools on two legs. His bon mots on the foibles of specific individuals were legendary among his friends, as was his readiness to acknowledge excellence where it was deserved. Despite his appreciation of off-color humor and the occasional vulgar witticism, Sam exhibited a classical dignity of character.

The four years since his Rosie’s passing were not easy on Sam, but he took the opportunity to deepen connections with his children and grandchildren. Reflecting back on his life to glean whatever crumbs of insight might be apparent, he offered the adage that one should always be kinder than necessary. In his decline, his final hope was for a death with some minimal degree of dignity but one which would provide him an extraordinarily interesting experience.

Sam’s life will be celebrated at Mulligan’s Restaurant at 150 Dove Hollow Trail, Georgetown, on September 11 beginning at 3:00 pm. As Sam’s instructions dictate, the event will be one of minimal decorum and maximal lubrication, and he particularly encourages irreverence regarding the late guest of honor. “This is, after all, very likely to be the last public assembly in which I will be able to participate as a disruptive influence, and I'm hoping to sit in on this event prior to taking up my new duties in the Perpetual Choir in the Sky.” In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts to the Rose Marie Logsdon Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Nursing at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi by contacting James Farrow 361-825-3549 [email protected].

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldendavisfuneralhome.com for the Logsdon family.